Hi there, I only recently stumbled upon the zettelkasten idea and it has really changed the way I process what I learn and understand. Tried many ways to implement this and finally I think I've settled on one that ticks the most boxes (for me) - telegram. Agreed that it's an unusual candidate, but it does the job really well. I will maybe write more about my workflow or upload a video in a follow-up post, but for now here are some things that I really like:
Telegram can easily implement two of the most important pieces of zettelkasten imo - atomicity and nodal linking. Every post can exist as a self-contained note (with a date/timestamp). Notes can be linked to other notes via links. You can add as many internal links as you want in a note.
Notes can be written in channels (adding members is optional). Channels can be further nested under folders.
The apps are extremely fast and snappy. Also cross-platform. I love the UI - the themes can be customised in so many ways. Collaboration is possible. You can upload pictures, voice notes, files etc along with a note. The search functionality is excellent (even search by date is possible).
Backing up your data is a little tricky, but can be achieved via the desktop app i think.
I would love to know if anyone else has been able to get telegram to work for their zettelkasten needs.
Only a good idea if you can easily export. Otherwise, it is a terrible idea to create something so long term as a Zettelkasten in a platform that could go down.
This is really innovative! For reference, I am a long time Telegram user and you can easily data in JSON or HTML format under settings --> advanced. It's easy to do. :)
Be aware that Telegram will automatically delete your account if you don't log in for 6 months (although you can change this in settings to be one year). I don't know if it notifies you prior to doing this - I use it most days.
I migrated all my Evernote notes to Telegram private channels. As I did for my tasks. It's more comfortable for me to use one App for information management than 4 different Apps (for tasks, for notes, for news, for chats).
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